Economics Seminar（2018-07）

Topic: Motivated False Memory

Speaker: Zhao Xiaojian,Chinese University of Hong Kong( shenzhen)

Time: Tuesday,April3, 13:30-15:00p.m

Place: Room217, Guanghua Building 2

Abstract:

People often forget and sometimes fantasize. This paper reportsa large-scale experiment on memory errors and their relation to preferential traits including time preference, attitudes toward risk and ambiguity, and psychological traits including anticipatory feelings. We observe systematic incidences of false memory in favor of positive events and selective amnesia in forgetting negative events. Intriguingly, both positive delusion and positive confabulation significantly relate to present bias, but this is not the case for positive amnesia. In an intra-person, multiple-self model, we demonstrate that positive false memory, rather than selective amnesia, serves to enhance confidence in one's future self in equilibrium, thereby accounting for our empirical findings.

Introduction:

Professor Zhao is an associate professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) and assistant professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His research interest lies in contract theory and its applications, behavioral and experimental economics, language and economics. Professor Zhao has published numerous articles in leading economics journals such as Review of Economic Studies, Games and Economic Behavior, Management Science, Experimental Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, and American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Your participation is warmly welcomed!